OBC seats vacant in DU

Even after lowering the cut-off levels, almost 50 per cent of Delhi University (DU) seats, reserved for Other Backward Castes (OBCs), are still vacant. A report by Swaha Sahoo.

Even after lowering the cut-off levels, almost 50 per cent of Delhi University (DU) seats, reserved for Other Backward Castes (OBCs), are still vacant. The undergraduate admission process was officially over on August 14.

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The scenario is similar in both campus and off-campus colleges.

A reputed college like Hindu College could fill only 35 of its 64 OBC seats. At Daulat Ram College in North campus, 36 of the 94 seats are vacant. Even this level could be achieved only after lowering the cut-off.

This year, DU reserved 5,052 seats for OBCs, but received only about 12,000 applications.

“The ratio was 2:1, or two candidates for one seat,” said Gurpreet S. Tuteja, deputy dean (students welfare).

The high cut-off levels are one of the reasons for OBC candidates not being able to qualify, Tuteja said, adding, “Even a 10 per cent relaxation didn’t help.”

But OBC seats have been lying vacant even in colleges where the cut-off levels were relatively lower.

There was also confusion over the OBC category. “States have included various castes under the OBC category. But DU had to reject many candidates whose castes were not included in the central list,” Pramodini Verma, principal of Bharti College, said.

Poonam Bihari, vice principal of Miranda House, said OBC students focused more on accommodation facilities.

“Many outstation students wanted hostel accommodation, but the number of hostel beds is limited,” she said.

Another reason could be that since the decision on filling the OBC quota was taken very late, there was not enough awareness among students.

“The response will be better next year,” said Ratan Lal, History lecturer at Hindu College.